Agenda item

Report by Corporate Director Environment and Place

At its meeting on 20 July 2021 Cabinet will be asked to approve to delegate to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highway Management, the final sign-off of Oxfordshire County Council’s bid to the Department for Transport Active Travel Tranche 3 fund.

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to consider the Cabinet report attached as Appendix 1 with its associated Annex attached as Appendix 2 and present their findings to the Cabinet meeting on 20 July 2021.

The Committee was to consider a report for Cabinet that outlined the approach to the Council’s bid for Tranche 3 of Active Travel funding from Government.

Eric Owens, Assistant Director for Growth and Place, introduced the report.  He gave apologies from Councillor Tim Bearder, Cabinet Member for Highway Management, who had a prior engagement.

Eric Owens highlighted that the three main components were outlined at the top of Addendum Page 20.  The funds could potentially be over the £3m received for Tranche 2.  However, the deadline for bids was short.  Officers were considering suggestions received during the Tranche 2 process as well as proposals in the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs).  It was intended to consult with stakeholders before submitting the bid.

Eric Owens and Councillor Duncan Enright, Cabinet Member for Travel and Development Strategy, responded to Members’ points as follows:

·         More LCWIPs were needed but Tranche 3 funds could not be used to develop them.  The Council was also bidding for capacity funding to work on these.

·         With the short deadlines on these bids, the previous administration struggled to manage the consultation with stakeholders.  It was accepted this time that consultation needed to include wider areas that were affected including across county boundaries.

·         Consultation with councillors should include county, city, district, town and parish councillors who all know their patch well.

·         Tackling areas with high levels of deprivation was included in the list of criteria.

·         Schemes were being considered across the county but the condition of delivery by March 2023 was challenging.

·         This scheme included funding for feasibility studies so that wider options could be considered in future funding rounds.

·         It was expected that the list of schemes for consideration would be circulated in the week following this meeting.

·         Officers will assess the proposals to ensure that they fit in with the overall strategy and comply with the guidance in LTN1/20.

·         The street design guide will also have to comply with LTN1/20.  All of these guides allow for exceptions for local contexts

·         The Council engages advice from consultants in regard to the cost estimates and deliverability of bids.

·         The Council will have to bear maintenance costs of these schemes into the future.

·         The guidance for Mini-Hollands suggested that they would be suitable across the county.

Members made the following suggestions and comments on the Cabinet proposal:

·         They urged that the bid be for substantially more than last year’s allocation of £3m.

·         There were concerns expressed that cycling was getting a lot more attention than walking.  Designs should ensure that the two are not in conflict.

·         Designs for cycling were generally good – the exception being where they met roads and this was where it is most important to get it right.

·         The bid must comply with the instructions in the government's paper to bidders, including compliance with LTN1/20.

·         There was too much focus on Oxford City and the larger towns.  The other areas needed facilities too.

RESOLVED: to consider the Cabinet report attached as Appendix 1 with its associated Annex attached as Appendix 2 and present their findings to the Cabinet meeting on 20 July 2021.